Things can only get better from here for head coach Larry Porter and the Memphis Tigers. Porter’s first season on the job was one to forget as the Tigers went 1-11 in 2010. They were by far the worst team in Conference USA. Memphis was outgained by a whopping 149.5 yards/game and outscored by 22.8 points/game in league play.

Porter wasn’t left with much to work with when he took over the job, and he won’t have a whole lot more this season. That’s because the Tigers return the fewest starters and lose the most letterman in the conference. This appears to be another rebuilding year in Memphis. Here is an outlook of their offense and defense, along with my prediction on where this team finishes in CUSA.

Offense:

It’s painful to talk about how bad this Memphis offense was a year ago. The Tigers only scored 14.4 points/game while racking up a mere 285 total yards/game. Making matters worse was their -13 turnover differential. They return only three starters, and will have to break in a new quarterback as Ryan Williams transferred at the beginning of spring. Sophomore Andy Summerlin will likely get the first crack at the starting job. He’s a JUCO transfer who set the junior college record for most passing yards by a freshman, and then took a medical redshirt last year due to injury. Other candidates are sophomore Will Gilchrist, along with freshmen Domonique Harris and Taylor Reed.

The Tigers also lose their leading rusher in Gregory Ray, who ran for 676 yards and 3 touchdowns while averaging 4.3/carry a year ago. Sophomore Jerrelle Rhodes finished second on the team in rushing and will be taking over the starting RB role this year. Senior Billy Foster started seven games at wide receiver last year , and also rushed for 43 yards on nine carries. He has been drawing comparisons to Dexter McCluster and should help provide a spark in the backfield this season.

Memphis had it rough last year at receiver as they had to replace their #1 and #2 career leaders in receiving yards. This was an inexperienced group, but with four of their top five receivers returning, this is a much better receiving corps heading into 2011. Junior Marcus Rucker led the way with 41 catches for 704 yards and 8 touchdowns while averaging 17.2/reception. Also back is junior Curtis Johnson and senior Tannar Rehrer . Rehrer will serve as a backup to talented redshirt freshman Kevin Wright. Sophomore TE Brooks Johnson steps into a starting role as well.

The offensive line play was sub-par last season as Memphis only rushed for 92 yards/game on 2.9/carry. The line also allowed 37 sacks a year ago, which is more than they had given up the previous two seasons combined. The Tigers lose four starters along the O-line, including two-time second-team All-CUSA RG Dominik Riley. They have moved Tommy Walker to the defensive line, leaving only 34 career starts returning on offense up front. Senior LT Ronald Leary is their best lineman, and he’s a 2-year starter who earned honorable mention all-conference last season. They add former Illinois lineman D’Angelo McCray, and also bring in a couple nice JUCO transfers. While less experienced, this group should be better talent-wise in 2011.

Defense:

The Memphis defense was on the field way too much last season, and as a result their play suffered. They allowed 39.8 points and 461 total yards/game. Six starters return on this side of the ball, including five of their top seven tacklers. This unit certainly has an excellent chance of improving with what they have coming back. After allowing 172 rushing yards/game and 4.4/carry with only 14 sacks a year ago, the Tigers will certainly be better up front as four starters return along the defensive line. They bring back seven linemen with starting experience and add Tommy Walker to the mix, who had made 20 career starts on the offensive line. Senior DT Frank Trotter earned third-team All-CUSA last season and is clearly their best lineman.

At linebacker, the Tigers will be breaking in two new starters in juniors Akeem Davis and Khiry Battle. Each played in limited action last year, combining for 20 tackles. They do return junior MLB DeRon Furr, who was their #4 tackler . They lose their leading tackler and first-team All-CUSA selection Jamon Hughes , but overall this unit is more experienced and they add some very talented freshmen. The Tigers also have their #7 tackler in senior Terrance Thomas back to come off the bench and add depth.

The biggest weakness on this team last season was their secondary. Opposing teams threw for 289 yards/game on a ridiculous 65.6% completions against the Tigers in 2010. Memphis loses four defensive backs who all started in six or more games last year. Their lone returning starter is sophomore SS Mohammed Seisay, who made 12 starts and finished with 39 tackles, 3 pass break-ups and 2 interceptions as a freshman. The other three projected starters earned valuable experience last year and should be much improved. Sophomore CB’s Lonnie Ballentine and Taurean Nixon combined for 32 tackles and four pass break-ups, while junior FS Mitch Huelsing had 35 tackles and played in all 12 games. Porter actually believes this will be one of the better secondary’s in CUSA, but only time will tell. One thing is certain; they can’t be any worse than they were in 2010.

Conference USA Prediction: 6th Place East Division Despite only having nine returning starters and coming off a 1-11 season, the Tigers should be better in 2011. That’s because Porter has brought in some talented freshmen, while most of the sophomores on this team have gained valuable experience after being forced into action last year. There are only four projected senior starters, meaning that they are still at least another year or two away from better results in the win/loss column. Memphis isn’t going to make much noise within the conference, but they will certainly be more competitive this season. Porter will get the most out of his players and is the right man for the job.

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